


Magic Is Everywhere

by Marcii_Winters



Series: Magicverse [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: (Almost) Akumatized Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/F, F/M, Gen, Likely Future Gabriel Agreste Bashing, Magic, Magic Marinette, Protective Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, miraculous five
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:01:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27922687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marcii_Winters/pseuds/Marcii_Winters
Summary: The Miraculous have always been common household jewelry infused with powerful magic. That means that before there were Miraculous, humans had access to magic all their own. Follow Marinette as she discovers her own ability to wield magic and how she uses it to take down her enemies.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Magicverse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2185977
Comments: 1
Kudos: 41
Collections: Miraculous Magic





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, readers! So, this is the first chapter of my new series and is essentially being used as a "trailer" chapter to set up the story.
> 
> Normally, I would've waited until I finished the actual fic and just posted the chapters daily or something but I'm getting really excited and I really wanted to share it with you all! I'm not known for my patience.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> (I tried to indent but it doesn't seem to take so sorry!)

Marinette clenched her teeth and fists, barely containing her emotions in response to the situation before her. Every fiber of her being was struggling not to walk across the classroom and either rip off her obviously fake bandages to prove that she was lying or leave the room entirely to get away and cry. Unfortunately, being Ladybug had its downsides, too, and that came in the form of always being morally just — so it seemed option two was the only real option. 

As they listened in on the sobbing mess of a girl that was currently Lila at the other end of the room, their expressions changed from worry and concern about her well-being to outright anger and disgust directed at Marinette. She hadn’t even gotten to sit down yet before she found herself facing the wrath of her classmates.

This time, they believed that Marinette had cornered poor Lila in the locker room and, after threatening her to stay away from a certain boy, physically assaulted her when she refused. The Italian’s bandages and fake hospital band seemed to give the story more credibility, so nothing Marinette could’ve said would have convinced her class that she was lying. 

There were words being had with her now, with multiple classmates essentially calling her a bad person for attacking an innocent girl and constantly finding ways to sink to new lows. They were told that Marinette had been bullying her for quite some time, but that this was the first time she’d ever laid hands on her. Of course, the screaming only grew in response, and Marinette could see just how deeply they had fallen for her lies.

Her feelings of anger directed at the liar now mingled with the sharp sting of betrayal, and it took considerable effort on her part to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over. To make matters worse, Nino and Kim—who have known her since they were children—also leveled looks of disappointment at her. It was all too much. 

Marinette held back as long as she could before her resolve cracked like an akumatized object and she started hyperventilating. A feeling of complete helplessness washed over, drowning her in anxiety that slowly started to overwhelm her. She watched as, for the first time since école primaire, no one came to help her. Marinette grew dizzy, collapsing back into her chair before she could tumble down the stairs in the middle of the classroom. 

Her emotions were reaching a tipping point much faster than usual, and she could hear the screaming start to warble and fade away as the sound of pounding blood in her ears replaced it. A soft bump on her hip reminded her that she couldn’t afford to have a breakdown and that she needed to do her exercises. 

Her kwami had long ago realized how in tune her Holder seemed to be with her emotions and, because of this, knew it put Marinette at risk of letting them completely overwhelm her. That was very dangerous when there was a magic-wielding terrorist that preyed on strong negative emotions. 

Tikki and Marinette had had many long nights where they discussed nothing but methods of how to control them should they ever become too much. Ladybug absolutely could not afford to be akumatized. Chat Blanc was bad enough on his own, destroying all of Paris and the Moon while he was akumatized. How bad would it be if the only person capable of cleansing akumas were to be akumatized themself?

It had been such a long and difficult process to discover what worked and what didn’t that it sometimes made the teenager want to give up being Ladybug, if only to allow herself to be upset and not put the entirety of Paris in danger. Eventually, though, they worked out quite a few successful methods, including taking some of Master Fu’s meditation lessons, and it seemed today would be the day she would finally put them into practice. 

Remembering those methods, Marinette opened her purse and dropped a shaky hand inside. Tikki immediately moved to gently rub circles into her palm and brush against her fingers in an attempt to comfort her. There was a bit of kwami magic involved in easing the panic, but the comfort of a friend was a much bigger part of it, Marinette felt. 

She continued to try and steady her breathing, taking in as much air as possible with each inhalation, holding it for a predetermined amount of time, and exhaling. She tried to lock any and all negative thoughts into a box, closing her eyes and pulling at her happiest memories to replace them. 

Meeting and falling in love with Adrien. Late nights full of laughter and good company in the form of Chat Noir. Massive bear hugs from her Papa and cheek-squishing kisses from her Maman. The feeling of flying through the air as Ladybug. Designing a unique pair of sunglasses for her new “Uncle” Jagged and the first time he called her his niece. Receiving praise and encouragement from her biggest idols in the fashion industry, and, best of all, Tikki: a new friend who is now her closest confidante and occasional begrudging (but not really) therapist. 

Slowly, her mind quieted, the panic in her chest lessened, her body stopped shaking horribly, and her eyes opened with a gentle flutter. Master’s meditation methods had always left the girl feeling strangely zen afterward, almost like a trance. The anxiety was still there, but it was more muted, akin to a slight uncomfortableness in her chest rather than the full sense-numbing pounding that it typically was.

As she rejoined reality, Marinette noticed that the class had gone completely silent, their eyes no longer glaring at her but wide with fear and apprehension. Confused, she scanned the room to see what had happened that shocked them so much...until she noticed a little, purple butterfly hovering just above her head. Her brows furrowed gently and she reached up her free hand to make a little perch for the bug to land on. It did so and the entire class collectively gasped in surprise and stood quickly from their seats, prepared to run. 

The akuma didn’t infuse itself into any of Marinette’s belongings, much to everyone’s surprise, and instead sat happily on her finger, flapping its wings slowly. She stared at the creature, a bit mystified in her strange calmness, and pulled her other hand from her purse—making sure to latch it closed—to gently stroke its wings. At her touch, a bright light from the butterfly caused everyone to shut their eyes and wince away from the unexpected flare. When they opened their eyes again, the class could only stare in complete and utter shock. 

The butterfly sitting on their classmate’s gentle hand was no longer the angry, purple, threatening creature that had come in to create another villain. Instead, there now sat a pure white butterfly, innocent and harmless as it took to flight once more. The students gaped and followed the butterfly’s trail as it flew through an open window and back into the bright skies of Paris. 

Silence lingered in the classroom for a long time before the sound of footsteps filled the room. Everyone’s heads snapped towards the source and watched as Adrien ascended the steps that led to Marinette’s desk. The girl in question watched with wide eyes as he stepped up to her, paused for just a moment, before wrapping her tightly in a crushing hug. 

“A-A-Adrien...?” Marinette felt her cheeks ignite in a fierce blush as her head was pressed into the boy’s chest, her zen calmness instantly evaporating. 

“I’m so sorry,” he mumbled, tightening the embrace a little more. “I’m so, so sorry. I-I didn’t think it would get this bad. I was so worried about Lila possibly getting akumatized if we exposed her that I never considered how much her lies were hurting you. How much risk that puts you in. I shouldn’t have ever told you to take the high road. Can you ever forgive me for being such a bad friend?” he whispered quietly into her hair.

Marinette smiled sadly and brought her arms up to return his embrace, the shaking in her hands returning a little. The overwhelming feeling of his validation brought her to tears a little bit, and her arms tightened slightly around him as she struggled for composure. Any lingering anxiety had lessened considerably by the comfort of his embrace.

“Of course, I forgive you, Adrien. You never once doubted me. I wish you would’ve stood up for me a little more, but you always came to check up on me afterward.” She sniffled and gave him one last squeeze before pulling away a little. A new voice interrupted them before Adrien could begin another round of sincere apologies. 

“Um...Marinette—did you just…purify that akuma?” Alya asked, her voice tentative with the residual tenseness and shock that came after a situation like that. She might’ve taken to silently gaping at her like most of the class if her inquisitive nature hadn’t been much more overpowering. 

At the reminder that they were not alone, Adrien turned a steely glare towards his class that seemed to chill them to the very bone, earning him even more shocked expressions. Adrien was widely known as the sweet sunshine boy who didn’t have a single angry bone in his body. To see him look at them with such raw, unfiltered scorn was frightening, to say the least. It seemed even Adrien had a limit to his kindness. 

Some of their classmates had the good sense to look ashamed as they realized they’d almost gotten a classmate akumatized, while others like Alya, Nino, and Kim looked confused at his anger. 

Adrien had planned to go off on his friends in a very uncharacteristic manner before Mlle. Bustier cleared her throat. It seemed the teacher had walked in to witness the tail end of what had transpired, and she too had been stunned into silence. 

“Class, you may all discuss this during your lunch break or after school. For now, take your seats. Adrien, please take Marinette home.” 

Adrien nodded softly and stowed his outburst for later before grabbing their backpacks, wrapping an arm around Marinette’s shoulders and leading her out of the classroom. Despite Mlle. Bustier ordering the class to their seats, they didn’t move until both Adrien and Marinette had left the room. 

“Hey, I really, really need to say again how incredibly sorry I am. Father always said that the less attention you give lies, the quicker they die out. It’s good advice for media attention but I guess not so much for vindictive, manipulative, lying b—” 

“Adrien, it’s okay. Really.” Marinette had to fight to suppress her laughter at Adrien almost cursing. 

“It’s not, Marinette,” he stressed. “You may forgive me, but I won’t stop trying to make it up to you, anyway. You’re very precious to me and it hurts to see you upset, especially if I had a hand in it.” 

“I-I am?” Marinette’s face instantly turned bright red. 

Adrien could only smile, squeezing her to his side just a little. “Of course you are. You were the very first friend I made myself and, considering the impression I made, let’s just say I’m surprised you stuck around.” 

“What about Nino? I thought you made quick friends with him too?” 

“I did, but you were the first person I called my friend.” 

“Oh.” Marinette couldn’t help but smile at that, her chest swelling with affection and maybe a bit of pride in her place as his first chosen friend. 

Adrien stopped walking as they came up to the bakery and turned to face her, trying to decide if he really should ask about what happened in class earlier. Marinette stopped too and looked up at him, a knowing smile replacing her affectionate one. 

“You can ask, Adrien.” 

“O-oh, um...how did you—you know, purify the akuma?” 

Adrien had a weird look on his face, like he was expecting a specific answer. Did he suspect she might be Ladybug or did he just guess that she’d figured out how to avoid being akumatized? Hopefully, it was the latter. 

“Honestly, I don’t know. I remember everyone yelling at me and I started panicking. I couldn’t breathe, I started to feel weak, my body was growing numb, and I had to sit down. I remembered that a…friend of mine taught me some exercises that might help me during a panic attack, so I tried one.” Marinette shrugged, fidgeting with her fingers before explaining the rest.

“I closed my eyes and started thinking about my favorite memories. The next thing I knew, everyone got really quiet and there was an akuma right in front of me. I don’t really remember what I did after that, I was kind of out of it. My, um, ‘friend’ said that combining those kinds of thoughts with breathing exercises is a form of meditation and can sometimes put you into this weird, like, dead calm state. I guess that’s what happened.” 

Marinette looked up at Adrien to see his reaction and was surprised to find him staring in both shock and profound awe. It made her a bit self-conscious and she could feel her cheeks once again fire up under his stare. 

“That’s amazing, Marinette! I know I called you our ‘Everyday Ladybug,’ but you’re living up to that name in ways I didn’t even think were possible!” A random thought entered Adrien’s head that he decided he would address later. 

“O-oh, um, thank y-you! I really have no idea what I did besides apparently purifying an akuma, but that means a lot coming from you.” Oh, I hope he doesn’t put two and two together. I literally purified an akuma in civilian form by accident, there’s no way I could’ve made it more obvious. 

“Well, I guess I should go inside. Thank you for walking me and, um…staying by my side through everything,” Marinette said, once again flashing him a soft, affectionate smile. 

Adrien returned her smile with equal brightness. “Always, Marinette. I gave you some really terrible advice last time. Whatever you need, whether you just need a friend to talk to or even to help expose Lila, count me in. I warned her not to go after the people I lo—ah, um, the people I care about.” He felt his face grow hot at his slip up and knew it probably matched Marinette’s as she burned a bright crimson. 

“I-I promise to be a better friend.. I’ll s-see you tomorrow!” With that, Adrien ran back towards the school and left Marinette standing in wonderful shock at his slip up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in case it wasn't clear, I have a few chapters stockpiled and I'm working on the new ones so I'll probably only post if I have at least two more chapters in reserve for if I get a little burnt out. Enjoy!

Marinette walked into the bakery feeling like she was floating. Adrien had fumbled on his words and almost admitted he loved her! Well, he most likely meant it platonically—she would not get her hopes up by thinking he meant anything else—but still! Even if he never loved her the way she wanted, he did love her in some capacity and that was more than enough for her!

She glided through the bakery and before she knew it, Marinette was pushing on the trap door that led to her bedroom and climbing inside. Tikki zipped out of her purse the minute the door was closed again and moved to float in front of her Chosen’s face.

“Marinette! Do you know what you did!? Oh, this is wonderful! It’s been so long since I’ve had a Sorceress Holder!” She gushed, flitting about Marinette’s head happily in celebration.

The kwami’s words and funny behaviour finally pulled the teenager out of her own head and reminded her that she had literally purified an akuma as a civilian just a few minutes ago. All at once, her anxiety came back in full force.

“Wait, Tikki, what happened!? How did I do that!? Is it a Ladybug thing!? Did I just make it easier for people to discover my identity!? I’m going to have to retire my Miraculous! Hawk Moth will find out who I am and I’ll never be safe! I’ll have to find a new Ladybug!” Marinette’s hands shot up to cover her earrings protectively, tears gathering in her eyes.

“Marinette, calm d-”

Marinette’s eyes widened as another realization struck her. “Wait—! Hawk Moth knows Ladybug is the Guardian! Even if I find a new Ladybug, he’ll know I still have the Miracle Box! I-I’m going to have to give up being the Guardian. And that means I’ll also lose all my memories of you and Chat and the other kwamis!” Her voice was getting louder as she began to panic.

“Marinette! If you keep screaming, everyone downstairs will hear you!” Tikki hissed, placing her little paws over her Chosen’s mouth.

Marinette froze a little as she realized just how loud she was being. She did vaguely remember how full the bakery was when she came in and there was no way they hadn’t heard shouting. Hopefully, they were far enough away that they couldn’t hear what she was saying but there was no doubt one of her parents would come and check on her soon.

“Tikki, please tell me I did not just put my identity at risk?” she whispered.

Her kwami only smiled a big wide smile and shook her head. “No, you did not reveal your identity to your classmates…nor to the people downstairs.”

“T-then what did I do? How did I purify that akuma without being Ladybug?” Her anxiety began to grow at her kwami’s lack of explanation.

Tikki giggled excitedly and floated back a little ways. “You’re a Sorceress, Marinette! You were born with great reserves of magic and now you’ve finally awakened!”

Marinette could only stare dumbly as she processed her words. What did that mean? Did she learn how to use Tikki’s magic without being transformed? “But how? I’m so confused.”

“Marinette, this has nothing to do with being a Miraculous Holder,” she said, reading her mind. “I think you need to go talk to your mom,” Tikki said, her smile growing even wider.

“What? Maman knows about this?”

The little goddess nodded. “Of course she does! The only people who can awaken their own natural magic without training are those whose bloodlines are linked to the Source of all magic! Your mom definitely knows.” Marinette took a moment to take that all in.

“Oh.” The teenager honestly hadn’t felt this confused since she first received her Miraculous. If her maman knew about magic, did she know she was Ladybug? Tikki was very powerful, so surely they could sense each other whenever they were close. Was that how magic worked? More importantly, why didn’t her maman tell her about this? This seemed like something you would explain to your child before it “awoke”. 

Taking a breath, she nodded and turned around to open her trap door in search of her mom while Tikki stayed behind to indulge in some snacks. As Marinette reached the bottom of the stairs, the front door opened and the very woman she was looking for walked in.

“Marinette, are you okay? We heard shouting.”

“I’m okay, Maman. I was actually coming down to talk to you. Something happened at school today.”

Sabine tilted her head and moved to lead her daughter towards the couch. “What happened, honey?”

It was then that Marinette realized she’d have to actually talk about what led up to akuma showing up and she suddenly felt very nervous. Sabine had always been very openly friendly. She was sweet and compassionate and so very understanding. 

However, only her family knew how scary she could really be, especially when she went into Mama Bear mode. She was ruthless when it came to protecting her loved ones and not a single person could stand in the way of her justice. She would need to tread cautiously so as not to permanently condemn her misguided friends in her mother’s eyes.

Marinette began explaining the entirety of the Lila situation with the exception of everything that happened earlier that day. She told her of the threats, the lies, the angry stares, and the expressions of distaste that were directed at her every time she walked into a room. 

She told her of the lies and the betrayal of her long-time friends and how despite how much they had hurt her, she just couldn’t turn her back on them. She told her how Adrien knew of Lila’s true nature and although he never outright defended her, in part due to not wanting to anger his controlling father, he always made sure to come to her afterwards and cheer her up.

Dredging up everything all at once left her tearing up once again and Sabine took her daughter in her arms and held her until she was able to calm down. Marinette made sure to emphasize amidst her crying that her friends weren’t bad people and that Lila was just really good at manipulating others. She could see that during the story, her mother had gotten increasingly upset on her behalf and was struggling with the urge to storm down to the school and protect her little cub.

“Shh, shh, ma chéri. Tell me what happened today.” Sabine cooed, rubbing comforting circles into her back.

Marinette nodded and took a few moments to compose herself before she started retelling the events of that morning.

“-and that’s when I saw an akuma hovering right in front of my face.” Sabine gasped softly and her eyes grew both sadder and angrier. “B-because of my meditation exercises, I was feeling strangely calm. I wasn’t even thinking when I reached out to it. I thought I’d get akumatized, but I didn’t. It just landed on my finger, and kept flapping its wings. I don’t know what possessed me to try to pet it but when I did, the whole room lit up with a bright light.” Marinette finally looked up at her mother as she explained the next part.

“I purified it. I don’t know how or why but suddenly, the akuma was a little white butterfly and it just flew away.” Sabine stared at her daughter in shock for a bit before a wide smile broke out across her face.

“Oh, sweetie, that must mean you’ve awakened! And so young!” The teen tilted her head in confusion as her mom, too, celebrated an event she wasn’t privy to. 

“What do you mean I’ve ‘awakened’?” she asked.

Sabine turned over to face her directly and gently took a hold of her hands, her proud smile still growing ever wider. “It’s part of our family history! This is going to sound very strange, but all of us Chengs have a very, very good relationship with magic! A lot of our ancestors were great and powerful sorcerers! Your grandmama and I still know a little bit of magic ourselves.” Marinette felt her jaw drop at her admission.

Before Marinette could ask the million questions now running through her head, her mom’s smile became something more mischievous and knowing. “But, usually, it takes great practice to even learn how to summon our magic at will. The only ones who can do so without the proper training are those who wield a Miraculous~”

Her eyes grew wide as she realized what her mother was implying. She knew. If she didn’t know before, this revelation had probably outed her secret identity to her mother. Did Tikki know that would happen? Was she giving Marinette her blessing?

“M-Maman, you know?” She found herself really hoping that she did, surprisingly, because the prospect of having someone else to talk to about all this would be such a heavy burden lifted off her shoulders.

“I’ve had suspicions for a while now. The magic that hides a hero’s identity is slightly weaker to other magical folk. Our family would have eventually been able to recognize you under there sooner or later, Ladybug.”

A huge wave of relief (and a little dread at her failure to keep her identity a secret) washed over the young heroine as she heard the confirmation. “Oh, Maman...you don’t know how hard it’s been to lie to you and Papa. I would’ve told you if it weren’t for Master Fu stressing that I keep it secret. I was also maybe a bit afraid of how you’d react, especially given how dangerous the akumas have gotten lately."

“It’s okay, ma chéri, I know. I understand. You don’t have to worry anymore, Mama’s here now.” Sabine held her daughter closely and pressed her lips to Marinette’s head. 

After a moment of comforting silence, Sabine spoke again. “Now that you’ve awakened your magic, it seems we’ll have to hire some more part time help for the bakery.”

Marinette looked up at her maman questioningly, who only smiled down at her before answering, “I will have to take on my new role as your magic instructor. There are a lot of rules when it comes to this stuff and I know that ‘Master Fu’ is nowhere near qualified to teach this sort of thing.”

“Wait, do you know Master Fu?” Now this was news to her. Is that why the master chose her as the Ladybug Holder?

“Oh, I know him alright, but that isn’t important right now. How is he doing? Still putting ungodly amounts of responsibility on children, huh?” Sabine asked.

Marinette’s face dropped a little as she remembered her former master. It’d been months now since the title of Guardian had been thrust upon her and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t harbor at least a little resentment for her predecessor. However, it was her fault to begin with for leading Hawk Moth to him. Mostly though, she was sad that she’d probably never see her master again. 

“Master Fu is gone. He transferred Guardianship over to me and lost his memories. Hawk Moth was so close to getting his hands on the Miracle Box that he had no choice.”

Sabine frowned at that and pulled her daughter in tighter. Her goal was mainly comfort but it was also to hide the absolutely livid expression on her face at the old Guardian. How dare he put that much responsibility on her baby!

“Honey, don’t you worry. You no longer have to do this all by yourself. If you need help, either with taking care of the kwamis or with defeating Hawk Moth, I’m here. And I’ll help you train your magic so that you have more tools at your disposal to protect yourself.”

Marinette whimpered at that and felt her eyes sting with tears once again. It felt so good not to shoulder all of that responsibility by herself. It also felt good to talk about these things with someone who understood again. Even better with it being someone she was much closer to than she ever was with Master Fu.

“I love you, Maman. Thank you.”

“I love you too, darling. Now go get some sleep. We’ll start your training tomorrow after school. Do you need me to intervene with that horrible girl? I could get a hold of her mother.”

The teen shook her head gently and sat up out of her mother’s embrace. “No, I’ll handle it for now. Adrien said he’d help me deal with her.”

Sabine smiled knowingly and raised her brows at the name of her daughter’s crush. “Oh, is that right? Well, as long as you keep your door open when you’re both here, that’s fine.”

Marinette flushed a deep red and shook her head, waving her arms in a negative gesture. “Maman! It’s not going to be like that!”

The older woman chuckled and nodded. “I know, dear. I just like teasing you. Go sleep, I’ll wake you up for lunch.”

With a grumble, and the cutest pout ever, the teen made her way back to her bedroom to sleep. Rehashing emotional trauma and crying can really tire a girl out. Not to mention the physical exhaustion of using her magic for the first time. 

However, despite her exhaustion, Marinette did spend an extra hour reassuring her new secret almost-a-friend friend that she was okay before she fell asleep. Sleep came very easily to her after that and the day’s tension melted away almost completely as she was pulled into a dreamless slumber.

**Author's Note:**

> This will be the only chapter posted for right now until I get at least halfway through the plot in my pre-writing! I hope you liked it!


End file.
